Scholarships awarded to beekeeping students at UH Hilo

(Left to right) Alan Wong, Lorna Tsutsumi, Daniel Lunnom, David Russell, and Batina Grossett. At right is Bruce Mathews, dean of UH Hilo College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management.

Tsutsumi explains, “The students enrolled in the beekeeping courses care for the adopted hives on the UH Hilo Ag Farm and write periodic updates to the adopters on the health and status of the hive. Once a season, the adopters are invited to the farm to see their hive, meet the student that cares for their hive, tour the bee grounds, learn about student projects and enjoy honey food samples. Every season Chef Alan Wong greets the adopters and personally thanks them for their support of the program and their commitment to bee awareness and sustainability.”

Sodexo’s assortment of butters and vegan bread made with the Agricultural Farm honey.

The good work of the program is spreading beyond campus and the local community. This June, the program will be showcased in Washington D. C. for Congresswoman Maize Hirono’s “Hawai‘i on the Hill.” And most recently, Yamada Bee Company from Japan visited the bees on the farm to see “Hawaiian” bees and document their experience. The first of several parts of their visit can be seen in the video below.

“There is no doubt that this program is a special experiential learning opportunity for UH Hilo students and helps to promote the importance that bees play in local and global sustainability,” Tsutsumi says. “Blending a celebrity chef with UH Hilo beekeeping students and a good cause supported by the community is a recipe for success.”